


but i can't help it, i'm falling for you

by stqrlghts



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Mortal, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, High School, High School AU, Mortal AU, also rachel is NOT going to be percy's ex because i am not here for rachel hate, fake dating au, god i love high school au stories so much, this is definitely tatbilb inspired don't make fun of me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stqrlghts/pseuds/stqrlghts
Summary: Annabeth stopped listening to him ramble. She could only stare as she opened her mouth without knowing what to say. Dating Percy Jackson, fake dating Percy Jackson. It was ridiculous. But the word “no” got stuck in her throat. “What exactly would that mean?” came out instead.“All I need you to do is act like my girlfriend around school and stuff.”“What would I get out of it?”“I’d...buy you more coffee?”...Percy has a proposal for Annabeth: they fake date to make his ex, Caroline, jealous. She just wasn't expecting to actually fall for him. But when had life ever been fair to Annabeth Chase?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 18
Kudos: 90





	1. damn you, percy jackson

**Author's Note:**

> hey! welcome to my first fic on this cursed website. this fic would not be possible without my best friend (@the23bestfriends on tumblr) so HUGE shout out to her <3 title is from "Falling for U" by Peachy! ft. mxmtoon
> 
> feel free to leave comments/criticism and enjoy! my tumblr is @words-and-stardust

Of course Annabeth knew that Percy Jackson and Caroline Hanson had broken up. Piper had told her almost a week ago. “They’ve been together for, like, ever!” Piper said, staring at her phone while laying on Annabeth’s bed. 

“Who told you this?” Annabeth had asked, looking up from her notebook.

“Thalia, because her brother is friends with Percy. I can’t say I’m surprised, though. Caroline’s a jerk and Percy seems like a nice guy. It was bound to happen.” Piper was rapidly typing away on her phone. 

Annabeth couldn’t deny that Caroline was a jerk, but she also didn’t know either of them that well. She didn’t care about the couples at school the way Piper did, so she was only half listening as Piper read Thalia’s texts to her. 

“Apparently she broke up with him—no surprise there—and he’s upset about it, but she won’t tell anyone why, only that they’re actually broken up for good this time…”

“Uh-huh,” she responded, scribbling notes. 

“And—Annabeth, are you even listening?”

“Of course not, I’m studying for the math test that we both have tomorrow.”

Piper had put her phone away and stopped talking about Percy and Caroline. Annabeth hadn’t thought about the two much since then. She’d known them since middle school, but they were never friends. Which was why, when Percy came up to her and asked to be her partner for a history project, she had no idea what to say. 

He rested his arms on her desk and leaned down to look at her. “Wanna be partners?” he asked, as if they had said more than a few words to each other in the past year. 

“Uh, sure?” She made eye contact with Piper from across the room, who was looking just as confused as Annabeth felt. Annabeth shrugged. 

“Cool,” Percy said, sitting down in the seat next to her. He immediately got to work on reading the project guidelines before Annabeth could even think about what was happening. 

Though they only had a few minutes to talk before the period ended, Annabeth learned a lot about Percy Jackson. He was friendly and he actually cared about the project, meaning Annabeth wouldn’t have to do all the work herself like she usually did. By the end of class, they’d exchanged numbers and decided to meet at the public library the next day to work. Annabeth was surprised. 

Piper caught up with her as she walked to her next class. “Percy Jackson?”

“I don’t know either, Piper. He asked me to be his partner.”

“But _why?”_

“How am I supposed to know? And anyways, you said he seemed nice.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Nice doesn’t mean he’s not suspicious. Especially since he practically just broke up with Caroline Hanson.”

Annabeth gave her a look. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Guys are fragile after break-ups. Just be careful, is all I’m saying. And hot guys are always suspicious.”

Annabeth shook her head and turned the corner. “Bye, Piper.”

“Love you, too!”

…

Annabeth sat across from Percy in one of the study rooms at the library. She was trying to concentrate on the project, which she was usually very good at, but something about him just seemed weird to her. Why did he ask her to be his partner? She was probably overthinking, as usual, but she couldn’t stop.

Even if she couldn’t figure out what was going on in his head, Annabeth understood why Piper called him hot. He had nice hair, black and long-ish. Annabeth could appreciate nice hair.

“This is so boring,” Percy said, laying his head on top of his keyboard. “Making presentations is fun, but research is the worst.”

“Really?” asked Annabeth. “I love research.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing. You can focus on the research, and when we make the presentation, I’ll do most of the work.”

“You’re not getting out of researching that easily, Jackson.”

“Damn. I almost had you, though.”

“You definitely didn’t.”

“You sure?”

Annabeth let out a small laugh and Percy smiled. “Just get back to work.”

That was another thing about Percy Jackson. As dumb as his jokes were, he could make her laugh. Every time she laughed, he smiled. Annabeth found herself not minding working with Percy—even if she was still wondering why he chose her, of all people.

The hour passed quickly. Before she knew it, they’d made plans to meet up again and Percy was gone. Annabeth sat in her car, dreading going home. Helen would probably be mad at her for coming home later than usual, or for not helping with dinner, or for something. Since Helen started dating Annabeth’s dad a few years ago, she’d disliked Annabeth. It only got worse when she and Annabeth’s dad got married and she moved in with her two sons. Annabeth tried her hardest to be nice, but it was hard when Helen was constantly making passive-aggressive comments and not-so-subtly hinting at all the things Annabeth could be fixing about her. 

Just as expected, Helen was annoyed when Annabeth got home. “Where have you been?” she demanded, hands on her hips. It was like Annabeth wasn’t a teenager with a life that didn’t let her come straight home after school every single day.

“The library,” Annabeth grumbled, taking a granola bar from the pantry. 

“Don’t eat that, it’s almost time for dinner.”

Annabeth just rolled her eyes and went upstairs to her room, her one sanctuary in this house. She fell onto her bed with a sigh. What had she ever done to Helen?

Her phone started ringing. “What’s up, Piper?”

“You know how I got stuck with Trevor Williams for history? I didn’t think he’d do much work, but apparently he broke his leg during soccer or something and now he’s not even going to be at school for, like, two weeks.”

Annabeth opened her laptop, checking if she had any more homework. “So who’s your new partner?”

“That’s the thing!” Piper groaned. “Mrs. Barnes said I’d just have to work on it by myself.”

“Seriously?”

“I know! Just another reason why I hate this class. Anyways, you think you could help me out with it tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Annabeth asked, leaning her head against the wall. “Probably not. Me and Percy are going to work on our project and I think Helen would literally kill me if I came home any later.”

Piper laughed. “Sorry about Helen. How’s working with Percy, though?”

“Honestly? He’s a good partner.”

“He wasn’t weird, was he?”

Annabeth made a face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you, guys are fragile after they get dumped.”

“Piper.”

“I’m just saying!”

_“Piper.”_

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. But still, some of his friends are jerks.”

“Isn’t Thalia’s brother one of his friends?”

“Jason? Yeah, but he’s not a jerk. Some of them are.”

Annabeth shook her head. “Whatever.”

“Enough about Percy. What did Helen do this time?”

Annabeth talked with Piper for the better part of an hour, until she was called down for dinner. Her dad and step brothers filled the silence enough so all Annabeth had to do was pretend she couldn’t see Helen’s glares at her. Annabeth was really getting sick of Helen. At this point, she was willing to do anything to make Helen at least tolerate her.

…

The project should’ve been simple: a short overview of the twelve main Greek gods, then a more in-depth look at one of them. Unfortunately, Annabeth and Percy couldn’t agree on a god to pick.

“We should do Athena, or maybe Artemis,” Annabeth suggested, already scanning a website for information on the two goddesses.

Percy made a face. “War and hunting?”

“Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t know, Poseidon?” He shrugged. “Sea god? He’s, like, one of the _main_ main gods.”

His words made Annabeth remember that Percy was captain of the swim team. “What do you mean, _main_ main gods?”

“Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are pretty much the biggest gods of the twelve. I think it’d be cool to do one of them. Plus, I actually enjoy learning about the ocean, so maybe the research wouldn’t be so damn boring.”

“Come on, everyone’s going to try to do one of those three. They’re easy. Don’t you want to do something at least a little challenging?”

He actually laughed. “I don’t hate school, but I’m not going to go out of my way to do more work.”

She rolled her eyes. Annabeth shouldn’t have been this annoyed because what did she really expect? She’d gotten her hopes up with Percy Jackson, but group projects were the worst because no one ever cared except her. Clearly, Percy didn’t either because he was trying to take the easy way out.

“Fine,” she sighed. “We can do Poseidon.”

She opened a new tab to search information on Poseidon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Percy studying her. “What?”

“Do you really want to choose someone else?”

She was surprised. The obvious answer was _yes, of course,_ but Annabeth said, “I don’t care.”

Percy looked at her with a thoughtful look. Annabeth wished she knew what he was thinking. “I change my mind,” he said. “We can do Athena or Artemis, or whoever you want.”

Annabeth stared at him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Can’t turn down a challenge.”

“We don’t have—that wasn’t what I—” she began, then cut herself off. Why was she arguing if she was getting what she wanted? It took her a second to realize that she couldn’t remember the last time someone actually considered what she wanted like this, besides her friends. “Uh, okay. Thanks. Let’s go with Athena.”

Percy nodded and went back to work. Annabeth stared at him for a second, then shook her head. “Hey, random question.”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you ask me to be your partner? Instead of, like, one of your friends?”

Annabeth could’ve sworn he blushed. “You’re good at history. I wanted a partner who would actually work.”

She raised her eyebrows, looking amused.

“I mean, no offense to my friends, but sometimes when we work together it doesn’t always go well.”

Annabeth thought of all the times she’d asked to work in the hallway because the group of boys in the back of the classroom, including Percy, were being so goddamn loud. _Sometimes._ “Well, thanks.”

He smiled. Now Annabeth was the one blushing. She could _definitely_ see why Piper called him hot. _Get a grip,_ she thought, forcing her eyes back to her computer. They were at the library to work, and yet Annabeth couldn’t stop glancing at him. _Damn you, Percy Jackson._

…

“Out late again?” Helen asked without looking up from her phone.

“Late?” said Annabeth in disbelief. It was six o’clock, for god’s sake.

“Later than usual. You’re usually home right after school.”

Annabeth took an apple out of the fridge. “Studying at the library.”

“Again? Why can’t you study here?”

She rolled her eyes at the annoyance in Helen’s voice. Why did she need to be at home all the time? “I have to meet up with my partner for a history project.”

“Bring her here.”

“I don’t know him that well.”

“Him?”

“Jesus,” Annabeth muttered, going to the stairs.

“Don’t use that tone. Most girls your age have boyfriends, Annabeth! I don’t want you sneaking around!” Helen called.

Annabeth ignored her, shutting the door to her room. It wasn’t the first time Helen commented on Annabeth’s lack of a love life, and she doubted it would be the last until Annabeth brought a boy home. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been on a date. Probably last year, which she tried to erase from her memory because of how awkward it was. Annabeth had liked boys since then but never made a move. She didn’t think she had time for a boyfriend. 

Annabeth sighed. Someday Helen would stop being irritating for one second and she could actually enjoy the time she spent at home. But someday seemed so far away.

Her phone screen lit up with a FaceTime call from Piper. “What’s up, Pipes?” she asked, laying on her bed.

“I hate school so I’ve decided to give up,” Piper answered with a straight face.

Annabeth laughed. “I actually finished everything for today, so take that.”

“Shut up. Anyways, can you hang out tomorrow? I feel like it’s been forever.”

“Maybe. I’m meeting Percy at the library straight after school, but I can head to your house after.”

“Again? Why are you doing homework on a Friday, Annabeth?”

“The grind never stops.”

“Oh my god,” Piper groaned. “So are you and Percy, like, friends now?”

“Yeah, I guess. He’s pretty nice.”

“Thalia says he’s not upset about the breakup anymore.”

“You’re still keeping up with that?”

“Hey, Jason and Thalia tell each other everything, and Thalia tells me everything, and I tell you everything. I’m just passing on a message.”

Annabeth shook her head, but she was smiling. “Go do your homework, Piper.”

“Fine. See ya!”

Annabeth put her half-eaten apple on her nightstand next to her phone. Excluding more of Helen’s mean words and her step-brothers annoying her, the rest of her night was fairly peaceful, and she went to sleep early for once.

But as always, Friday tested her patience. She almost fell asleep in fourth period and was genuinely considering making up an excuse to ditch Percy that afternoon. Then he waved to her in the hallway and she changed her mind, sending him a small smile.

She didn’t regret it. Working with Percy was becoming one of the highlights of her day. Whether they were making jokes or sitting in a comfortable silence, Annabeth enjoyed it. When they walked out of the library after saying goodbye, they both turned away from the parking lot. “Oh, are you not—” he began.

“Yeah, I’m heading to Starbucks,” she answered before he could finish.

Percy’s face lit up. “So am I! My friend is working there today and I promised I’d stop by. Mind if I walk with you?”

“No problem.”

He walked beside her. Neither of them said anything, the November breeze making Annabeth shiver. She glanced at him, but it didn’t look like he minded the silence. Percy held the door open for her and they walked into Starbucks. Annabeth saw Thalia at the counter, looking confused. “Hey Perce,” she said, looking at Annabeth. 

“Hi! Me and Annabeth were working on our history project and thought we’d stop by,” he responded, oblivious to Thalia’s scrutinizing look and Annabeth’s discomfort with Thalia’s scrutinizing look. Even though Piper was friends with Thalia, Annabeth didn’t know her that well. She smiled at her, trying to hide her nervousness.

“So what’ll it be?” Thalia asked, still looking at Annabeth.

“Just a black coffee,” she said.

“And you just want a hot chocolate, right?” Thalia asked Percy.

“Aw, you know me so well.”

Thalia rolled her eyes and got started on making their drinks. Annabeth looked at him. “Seriously?”

“I could say the same to you. Who drinks black coffee?”

“At least it’s coffee.”

“Trust me, caffeine and I don’t agree.”

“He’s right!” called Thalia. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

Annabeth laughed, taking out her wallet to get ready to pay. Percy noticed. “Hey, it’s on me,” he told her.

Her eyes widened. “You don’t have to do that! I don’t—”

He smiled. “I noticed how tired you were and I was considering buying you a coffee anyways.” He put some bills on the counter and looked at her, giving her a chance to deny it one more time.

She didn’t. “Thanks.”

Percy just smiled again. They grabbed their drinks and found a table. Annabeth didn’t miss the look Thalia gave her before finally turning away.

Annabeth watched Percy drum his fingers on the side of his cup. He looked nervous, which made Annabeth nervous. She sipped her coffee, hoping it would hide her face.

“So,” he began. “I have an idea.”

Annabeth nodded. “An idea.”

“Yeah, um…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he took a deep breath. “So I broke up with my girlfriend, Caroline, recently.”

Annabeth didn’t like where this was going.

“And, you know, I love her. And I want to get back together with her.”

She ignored Piper’s voice in her head saying _guys are fragile after break-ups. Just be careful._

“So, I was thinking, maybe...we could pretend to date to make her jealous?”

The words came out in one breath and Annabeth needed a second to process what he’d said. “You—you want _us_ —you want to pretend to date me?”

Annabeth couldn’t tell whose face was more red. He nodded. “Just, like, in public. Where Caroline would see us. And not forever, of course, just…”

Annabeth stopped listening to him ramble. She could only stare as she opened her mouth without knowing what to say. _Dating Percy Jackson,_ fake _dating Percy Jackson._ It was ridiculous. But the word “no” got stuck in her throat. “What exactly would that mean?” came out instead.

“All I need you to do is act like my girlfriend around school and stuff.”

“What would I get out of it?”

“I’d...buy you more coffee?”

Annabeth leaned back, taking a deep breath. “This—this is—”

“I know it’s crazy,” Percy said. She could see the desperation in his eyes. “But please just consider it? There are plenty of benefits to having a boyfriend, even if it’s fake.”

_Like what? Opening jars?_ Annabeth thought. Then she almost jumped, remembering Helen’s words from the day before. _Most girls your age have boyfriends, Annabeth!_

Helen. Helen clearly wanted Annabeth to get a boyfriend, and Annabeth wanted Helen to give her more than an ounce of respect. And here was a boy, asking to be her (fake) boyfriend. 

“I mean, I guess I don’t really know what’s in it for you,” continued Percy. “But we’re friends, right? And I thought I might as well ask.”

“Okay,” blurted Annabeth before she could change her mind. “Okay. I’ll do it.” She was imagining the look on Helen’s face when Annabeth told her she had a boyfriend.

Percy blinked. “Wow. Okay. I thought I’d have to do more convincing than that.”

“Well, there are plenty of benefits to having a boyfriend. But I wouldn’t be opposed to more coffee.”

Percy laughed. Annabeth saw some of the nervousness disappear. “Great. Yeah, great.”

Annabeth smiled, trying to hide her own nerves. _Damn you, Percy Jackson. Don’t make me regret this._


	2. no PDA except holding hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth wonders why she thought dating Percy Jackson was a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woO okay hi !! i know it's been like six months but i regained motivation for this fic and i plan on finishing it! because of school, i won't have regular updates, but i'll definitely write as much as i can. also, i'd like to think that my writing skills have improved since may, so if this second chapter feels different, that's why :)
> 
> without further ado, enjoy !!

Annabeth walked into the library on Saturday afternoon, heart pounding. She’d ditched Piper last night, too nervous about her deal with Percy to do anything except lay in bed and regret every decision she’d ever made. Annabeth texted Percy asking if they could meet up again to discuss the plan.

Percy Jackson: _what plan_

Percy Jackson: _i thought we could just wing it_

You: _you’re kidding_

Percy Jackson: _of course i am. library tmrw?_

So here Annabeth was, sitting at her and Percy’s usual table at the library. They’d brought their backpacks, though there wasn’t much of a chance that they’d be working today.

“First things first,” Annabeth said, taking out a sheet of paper. “We need to set some rules.”

Percy nodded. “Like what?”

“No kissing, or hugging, or any PDA.”

“Right, I’m not allowed to kiss my girlfriend,” Percy deadpanned, giving her a look.

She glared at him. “ _Fake_ girlfriend. And no offense, but I don’t want to kiss you.”

“Ouch,” he said, holding his hand to his heart. “But seriously, how am I supposed to convince people you’re my girlfriend if I can’t even hug you?”

Annabeth sighed as she tapped her pencil against the desk. She was being stupid. Of course she’d have to kiss him and hug him and do all the lovey-dovey things that couples do, but even thinking about it made her blush. It wasn’t like she’d never kissed a boy, but this was _Percy Jackson,_ not just a boy.

“Look, I’m not gonna do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Percy told her. He leaned forward in his chair. “But you’ve gotta give me something, Chase.”

Annabeth exhaled. “Fine. We can...hold hands. Rule number one: no PDA except holding hands.”

“Done. But for the record, I wouldn’t mind if you kissed me,” he added with a grin.

Annabeth ignored the butterflies in her stomach as she wrote down the rule and slid the paper over to Percy. “You add something.”

He twirled his pen in his fingers, thinking. “I get to take you to and from school. I used to do that with Caroline, it’s bound to make her jealous.” He noticed the look on Annabeth’s face. “Not right away, but soon. Good?” She nodded and he scribbled it down.

“Rule three: no parties.”

Percy made a face. “Don’t bother writing that down. I hate parties.”

Annabeth couldn’t hide her surprise. Caroline was one of the people who was always going to parties on weekends, doing god knows what. She’d assumed Percy went with her. “Really?”

“People always do dumb things, and I’m not a fan of alcohol.”

Annabeth erased what she’d started to write. “Okay, then rule three will be that we can only tell one other person about this.”

“No way!” Percy yelled, eyes wide. His face went red and he lowered his voice. “I mean, come on. Rumors spread fast.”

“I’m only going to tell my best friend. I’ll go insane if I can’t tell anyone.”

“Isn’t your best friend Piper Mclean? Am I supposed to trust her? My friend Thalia gets half the rumors she hears from Piper.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “She’s my best friend, Jackson, she’ll keep my secrets.”

Percy still didn’t look convinced. “Just...wait a little bit. Don’t tell her right away.”

“You get one week,” said Annabeth. “That’s it.”

“Two weeks.”

Annabeth held his stare. Two weeks was a long time. Annabeth didn’t know if she’d be able to keep a secret this big from Piper for that long, who always seemed to know when Annabeth was hiding something. Finally, she looked down. “Two weeks,” she agreed. “No more than that.”

Percy took the paper from her and looked it over. “I don’t have anything else to add.”

Annabeth did. “If something makes either of us uncomfortable, we stop, no questions asked.” She looked up at him. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to write?”

Percy thought for a moment, then wrote something down with a mischievous smile. Annabeth took the paper back.

  1. No PDA except holding hands.
  2. Percy gets to take Annabeth to and from school every day, eventually.
  3. We can only tell one person and only after two weeks.
  4. If something makes us uncomfortable, we stop, no questions asked.
  5. Annabeth is not allowed to fall in love with Percy.



Annabeth scoffed. “Very funny.”

Percy just shrugged, still smiling. Annabeth ignored the way her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest.

…

Monday came too fast. Annabeth didn’t think keeping her and Percy’s deal a secret from Piper would make her feel so guilty, but it did. They’d finally hung out yesterday, but only to do homework, which gave Annabeth a distraction. Piper was going to find out today, along with the rest of the school, instead of being the first to know. That felt wrong. 

Percy texted her before she left her house, letting her know he’d be waiting for her by the entrance. Annabeth grabbed her keys and went to school, pushing down all the weird things she was feeling. She wasn’t going to let some boy be the biggest thing in her life. 

Percy stared at his phone, leaning against the wall by the front doors of the school. His face lit up when he saw Annabeth approach. “Hey!”

Annabeth smiled, suddenly too nervous to say anything. Percy held out a hand. “Shall we?”

_Calm down, Annabeth._ She took his hand. 

He led the way inside. Annabeth knew people probably weren’t noticing them, but it felt like everyone’s eyes were on her. _Annabeth Chase is holding Percy Jackson’s hand!_

_Shut up,_ she told her brain. _You’re not twelve anymore._

They reached her locker first and she let go of his hand to grab her textbooks. Percy leaned against the lockers next to her. “So,” he said. “Where are you headed?”

“Math,” she responded, looking anywhere but him. 

“With Mr. Fanning, right? I have him after lunch, maybe you can let me know if he does another pop quiz or something.”

She snorted. “Knowing him, he probably will.”

Percy let out a small laugh, which made Annabeth smile. _He has a nice laugh,_ she thought. It seemed genuine. It seemed— 

Annabeth suddenly slammed her locker door shut. She was _not_ going to start analyzing Percy Jackson’s laugh. “See you in history,” she told him before walking away, and she didn’t look back to see if he heard her.

Dating Percy Jackson, Annabeth decided, was probably one of the stupidest decisions she’d ever made.

She did end up having a pop quiz in math, one that took her longer than it should’ve because the only thought in her brain was _how am I supposed to fake date someone who I can’t even look in the eye?_ Annabeth wasn’t an impulsive person; she always thought carefully through her decisions, found the best option for her. But when it came to this, Annabeth didn’t think.

Helen was Annabeth’s weakness. She had jumped at the opportunity to get her stepmom off her back, but now that she thought about it, the opportunity wasn’t much of anything at all. It’s not like saying she had a boyfriend would magically make Helen like her. Still, it was too late. Annabeth wouldn’t humiliate herself by telling Percy she was backing out.

She’d figure out what to do about Helen later. Right now, she needed to focus on this quiz that was worth much more of her grade than it should be.

When Annabeth slid into her seat in history, she could feel Piper’s eyes drilling holes in the back of her head. Percy was right: rumors spread fast, and Piper heard them all first. She had no doubt that Piper had a million questions that Annabeth didn’t want to answer.

Percy sat down beside her and leaned in close. “One of Caroline’s friends is in this class. Drew Tanaka?”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. She wouldn’t let the fact that Percy’s face was inches away from her faze her. “And?”

“ _And_ I know that Drew tells Caroline everything, so she’ll see us and tell Caro. Laugh like I said something funny.”

Annabeth laughed. Percy looked at her in disbelief. “What kind of laugh was that?”

“A fake one?”

“Fake laughs are supposed to sound real, Chase.”

Annabeth smiled at him sweetly. “Fuck off, Jackson, I didn’t sign up to be an actor.”

Percy nodded in satisfaction. “See, that smile was convincing. The laugh could use some work.”

Annabeth almost retaliated, but she was aware of Piper staring at her again and shut her mouth.

If there was one thing Annabeth knew about her best friend, it was that when Piper had a goal, she would reach it. Piper somehow packed up and was waiting by the classroom door before Annabeth even put her notebook away. She tensed as Piper threw an arm around her shoulder. “Okay, when did that happen?”

Annabeth exhaled. “It was all kind of sudden, and I was going to tell you, but—”

Piper’s laugh cut her off. “I’m not mad, AB.”

Annabeth froze. “You’re not?”

Piper lightly punched Annabeth in the shoulder. “No, dude, I’m not mad. Look, I don’t expect you to update me on every second of your life as soon as it happens. Sometimes things just happen, and when they do, I’ll be happy for you.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Like when you get a cute boyfriend.”

Annabeth didn’t even register the last comment—relief washed over her and she wanted to hug Piper right then and there. She had been so worried that Piper would feel betrayed or upset that she forgot how understanding Piper was. 

“But, like, you’re going to give me details later, right? Because you can’t expect me _not_ to ask.”

Annabeth’s smile dropped for just a moment as she remembered that she would have to lie to Piper for the next two weeks, but quickly reappeared, her mask sliding back into place. “Of course.”

Piper smiled, and Annabeth pretended like it didn’t make her feel like a traitor.

…

“Athena was born out of Zeus’ head?”

Annabeth looked up to see a mixture of shock and horror on Percy’s face. She simply nodded. They had been working in the library for the past hour, and she was surprised it took this long for him to find an absurd fact.

“How are you not freaking out over this?” Percy scrolled up and down the webpage he was looking at. “What, did she just pop out of there? How does that even work?”

“Greek myths are weird,” Annabeth shrugged. “You get used to it.”

He looked up, meeting her eyes over the top of his laptop. “You read a lot of myths, then?”

She looked away. “A little. It’s pretty interesting once you get past the basic stuff.”

“Yeah?” Percy was scribbling down notes in his notebook, but still making conversation. “What’s your favorite myth?”

Annabeth absentmindedly wrapped a strand of blonde hair around her finger as she scrolled through search results on her laptop. “I like the myth behind the naming of Athens,” she answered. “It was a contest between Athena and Poseidon—Poseidon made a spring of saltwater for the city and Athena planted an olive tree. Athena’s gift was more useful and she became the patron of Athens.”

Percy scoffed. “They chose a tree over a spring?”

“The spring could only produce saltwater, which obviously isn’t a great water source. The olive tree provided food, shade, wood, resources that the people could actually use. Of course they chose the tree.”

“I think the spring is cooler.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Poseidon thought the same thing, and look where that got him.”

“On Poseidon’s behalf, I’d like to say I’m offended.”

“On Athena’s behalf, I’d like to say suck it up, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy laughed. Annabeth felt her face turn pink and she buried herself back into research.

After they packed up their things, Percy hesitated by the exit of the study room they’d booked. “You wanna grab some coffee? Swim was canceled tonight, so I have nowhere better to be.”

Annabeth could think of a lot of better things to do besides hanging out with a study partner, but it’s not like she had any plans, either. “As long as I get to pay this time.”

Percy rolled his eyes but held the door open. “After you, then.”

Starbucks was crowded at this time of day; there were plenty of other students occupying tables with laptops and backpacks. Once their orders came, the only place to sit was outside. Annabeth was grateful for the warmth of her coffee cup.

“It’s less than fifty degrees in November and we’re sitting outside,” Annabeth muttered.

Percy gave her an amused look. “Sounds like hot chocolate weather to me.”

“Hot chocolate weather doesn’t start until December and I’m not taking criticism.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have you drinking hot chocolate in the summer soon enough.”

He didn’t notice how Annabeth froze. Would she and Percy still be… whatever they were by the time summer came around? Why would they be? Percy would be back together with Caroline, and Annabeth would be doing whatever she was supposed to be doing and things would go back to normal.

“Oh, wait a second!” Percy pulled out his phone and starting tapping away. “This is great. I can put you on my snap story!” He pointed his phone camera towards her and pushed his cup to the center of the table so it would be in frame. “Ok, grab my hand.”

Annabeth hoped she could use the cold as an excuse for her blush. Percy’s hand was warm, despite the cold around them, and she definitely wasn’t complaining. 

“Alright, smile!”

Annabeth held up her cup so it blocked most of her face. Percy studied the picture for a moment before showing it to her. “Are you okay with this?” he asked.

The picture showed Percy’s cup to the right, with its green Starbucks logo in full view. Next to it, Percy’s elbow rested on the table, and his hand was raised to show it holding Annabeth’s, her sleeve falling down past her wrist. Annabeth’s face was blocked by her cup, but you could still see her eyes and how they were slightly squinted in a smile. She stared at the image.

“I think it’s cute,” Percy said casually.

Annabeth cleared her throat and leaned back. “Uh, yeah. You can post it. It’s good.”

“Great!” Percy typed for a moment before looking at her again. “I don’t even have you added on snap, do I?”

Annabeth smiled awkwardly and shook her head. 

Percy apologized, even though Annabeth said it was fine, and added her. When he finished putting the picture on his story, he put his phone down and nodded. “Perfect. Thank you.”

Annabeth hid her face with her cup again. “No problem.”

She didn’t look at Percy’s story until she got home, more exhausted than she’d felt in a long time. He’d posted the picture with a simple caption: @abchase 🤍. 

Annabeth leaned her head back against her headboard and sighed.

…

The next three days felt like entire weeks. Each day was the same, and her thing with Percy hadn’t gotten any easier. Annabeth knew it wasn’t Percy’s fault—she was the one being awkward whenever he tried to talk to her. The fact that he was patient with her almost made her even more frustrated.

On Friday, when Annabeth was walking with Percy to lunch, he pulled her aside to a corner of the hallway and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Look, I know this is weird,” he said. “I just wanted to say thanks for these past few days. You’re doing a good job.” His eyes moved to a spot behind her. “Also, Caro’s over there and she is definitely watching us.”

Annabeth didn’t even have to fake a smile. “Is your master plan working, then?”

Percy hummed instead of responding, still looking over Annabeth’s shoulder. “Hey,” she said softly, waiting until he met her eyes. “Don’t worry. You’ll get her back in no time.”

His expression was unreadable, but he sounded grateful. “Yeah. Thanks, Chase.” His eyes widened a fraction. “Oh, shit. I didn’t even realize what corner this was.”

Annabeth looked around. “What?”

“It’s, uh…” Percy stammered. She’d never seen his face so red. “People usually end up making out in this corner. Like, during lunch.”

Annabeth burst out laughing. She only ever stayed in the cafeteria during lunch, so she wouldn’t have known. “What, so Caroline’s just waiting for us to start making out?” she asked, catching her breath.

Percy was still blushing, but he smiled.

“Don’t worry, Jackson, I have no plans to kiss you anytime soon, much less make out.”

Percy’s face regained the confidence she was used to seeing. “If those plans ever change, let me know,” he answered smoothly with a wink.

Annabeth was grateful for the voice that shouted Percy’s name because it distracted him from seeing her blush harder than he did.

A blonde boy came up to them, bumping his shoulder into Percy’s. Annabeth would’ve recognized him even without the blue AHS swim team hoodie with his last name on it. Jason Grace was a fairly recognizable person, and he was Percy’s best friend.

“Hey! You’re Annabeth, right?” There was nothing but friendliness on Jason’s face, so much that it almost unsettled Annabeth. “I’m Jason. Sorry you have to put up with this idiot.”

Percy dug an elbow into Jason’s side. “Rude.”

Annabeth took Jason’s presence as a queue to leave, but not before a very bad idea popped into her head. She made her voice sound as caring as possible when she said “I’ll see you later, Percy,” and before she could change her mind, Annabeth leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

She turned and walked away before she could see Percy’s expression. Annabeth did, however, glance at Caroline before turning the corner. Caroline’s face was almost blank. Almost blank—Annabeth could see something stirring beneath her indifference. Maybe this ridiculous plan was actually working.

  
Annabeth smiled once she turned the corner. _Game on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr [@ruewens](https://ruewens.tumblr.com/)! also i'm obsessed with annabeth's close friends/family calling her AB as a nickname so you can pry that headcanon out of my cold dead hands

**Author's Note:**

> so there's chapt 1! can't promise when chapt 2 will be up, but i'm working on it! side note: i'll def be updating the tags as i go, so keep an eye out for that :)


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